


alone, together

by queermermaids



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: COVID-19, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, Original Character(s), POV Outsider, Sixth Form Teacher Booker | Sebastien le Livre, booker is a good teacher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26007058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queermermaids/pseuds/queermermaids
Summary: In which Booker is lucky he is the most tech-savvy out of the group, because he came back to teaching Sixth Form just before a global pandemic, and in which one lucky student finds an ally.
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Original Non-Binary Character, Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nile Freeman
Comments: 16
Kudos: 198
Collections: Book of Nile Collection!





	alone, together

**Author's Note:**

> I definitely mixed far too many Americanism into this fic about a UK student, but hopefully it isn't too grating!
> 
> Oh and also ignore how they're using their real names

Lucile liked their history teacher Mr. Le Livre. He was down to earth, very enthusiastic about the same time periods they loved to study, and he let them hang out in his classroom during lunch and after school. An all around cool guy, kind of a recluse but he was friendly with everyone, and well liked because of it.

He was back to teaching after taking a few years off, doing who knows what. Mr. Le Livre was frequently the topic of conversation, about his mysterious past, and about how hot he was. Lucile didn't pay attention to that, poked fun at their friends when they brought it up. They made jokes about how much the librarian Ms. Jones wanted to gang up on him. Not just because it wasn't true, the whole campus was looking at Mr. Le Livre during the spirit assembly where he wore a tank top. It was just hilarious that his name meant book, and she wanted to devour him.

Now school was online, Lucile missed his classroom. One of their friends from band, Nancy, said his room smelled different from the other ones. "Yeah it's weird, you know the smell of the really old books in the library? It's like that, plus the vanilla perfume Alex just drowns herself in." Alone in their bedroom, they missed every aspect, from the smell to the cheesy posters that looked straight from the early 2000s.

Mr. Le Livre did read a lot, had a whole inner classroom library of very rare books he let the students pick from. The conditions were that they could only take out one at a time and had only 2 months to read it. He gave out extra credit if they finished and wrote a paper on it. Lucile had grabbed a couple on the last day of in person classes. The pile was on their desk, untouched for weeks now. Lucile just wasn't feeling up to it.

Senioritus, someone said to them last year. That's what the American kids call it, when you're just about the graduate and you don't want to do anything. This didn't feel like that though, Lucile felt more lethargic and sad, depressed even. They wanted to talk to their friends, in person and not just through Facetime and Snapchat. They wanted to talk to their teachers, sit in the lunchroom, eat shitty but free food, and go to band practice. It was hard, being alone, even harder in the face of expectations. The expectations put on them by their parents, their teachers, and themself, of what they wanted their last year to look like.

All they wanted to do was to graduate, get their diploma, and leave their family behind to move out to university. Now everything has gone to mess, and in an irrational way, they didn't even want to finish Sixth Form, just fail and repeat it all over next year. A normal year, where prom still happens, and senior sunset and picnic still happens. Graduation dinners, band banquet, walking the stage and saying goodbye to friends. They wanted to kiss their crush, get way too drunk and have to sleep on someone's couch in a loaned out tux. Now they get nothing, except Zoom calls they can't even fake sick for.

They make up their mind near the end of the next school day.

As everyone leaves, they turn on their mic, "Mr. Le Livre, could I talk to you?"

He turns his back on, "Hey Luc, sure lets just wait a second until everyone has left. I will see you all on Thursday, thank you for being here and being present. Don't forget to do the textbook reading, we will be talking about the Spanish Civil War the next time we meet so be prepared. Liv? And everyone else? I will put on our class website the information about applying for unemployment as a minor."

They wait a little bit, Mr. Le Livre turns his camera off, but he stays until everyone leaves. When he turns it back on he's not in his office anymore, but in front of his fridge.

"Hi Luc, can you hear me?" They nod.

"What was your question?"

They took a breath, "Can you maybe not use they/them pronouns for me during class? My parents are home with me since the shut down went fully into effect and not just our school, and they-I'm not out to them yet."

"Oh, ok." Mr. Le Livre looked concerned. "I'm sure the school has resources they can loan out, some ear buds or what ever they're calling them now, Airpods or something, that you can use to keep your privacy."

From off to the side they hear, "Oh, the school is giving out ear buds huh? Why haven't you taken them up on their offer Sebastien?"

A woman walks into frame, and leans down to kiss Mr. Le Livre on the mouth.

"Mmmh hello sweetheart, I'm still in a-"

"Oh shit uh crap are you with a student?" She looks at his screen, "Oh you are. Hi uh-"

"Luc." Mr. Le Livre filled in.

"Luc! Wait that Luc? Hi! You're teacher here," she put her hand on his shoulder, "has been telling me so much about you, being his favorite student and all! I'm Nile, you can call me Ms. Freeman, its a pleasure to meet you!" She smiled and waved.

"Hello Ms. Freeman. Are you?"

"I'm Sebastien's, Mr. Le Livre's, partner." And she's American, maybe she's the reason why he took those years off of teaching, he eloped and went overseas.

"Ms. Jones is not going to be happy to hear that," they mumbled.

"Hmm? What was that?"

"The librarian," Mr. le Livre answered.

"Oh, heh, I bet she'd like to read you huh?" She smiled at his nonplussed expression, "I'll stop. But you need to ask her about getting some earbuds for yourself as well, I can't also be doing calls with Andy while you're teaching in the background. You know Joe and Nicky will want in, and well, you have to teach not get into arguments."

Joe and Nicky, Andy, arguments? Lucile was learning so much about Mr. Le Livre at once it was hard to hold onto.

"I know, I know, I will. Can I?" He gestured to his screen.

"Alright I'll get out of your hair. It was lovely to meet you Luc. If I don't see you again soon I wish you good luck on your SATs!"

"A levels."

"Oh tch oops, A levels. From what Sebastien tells me you're going to do well. Congrats on your last year!" And she kisses him on the cheek before walking out of frame.

He watches her walk away, a deeply heartfelt expression on his face Lucile has never seen until then. Someone had told them that he was a widower, that he took those years off to grieve. If that was true, they're glad he's found someone that makes him look like that again.

He turns back to face them, "I know I heard you correctly when you said you don't want me to refer to you with they/them pronouns in class anymore. Is it just your parents listening in and you aren't out as nonbinary, or is there another problem Luc?"

They sigh, "Just that sir, being home all the time, not seeing my friends, missing out on everything I'm supposed to experience in my final year in college before going to university. Its just all a bit much, adding on top everything else. I just want to be able to control something, and well."

Mr. Le Livre listened in, nodding as they ranted, getting everything out. "Ok, do you want me to stop because of your parents or because you feel uncomfortable, like it just doesn't fit you anymore?"

"Parents."

"Then let's get you some earbuds so you can have some privacy and stay comfortable in our class, ok? I remember when you came up to me on my first day back teaching and told me point blank nothing other than they/them pronouns. Just because we're online doesn't mean I can't keep my classroom safe for you and other students. Your participation is much appreciated as we are all learning here, and I don't want you to feel like you can't speak up and ask questions."

"Thank you Mr. Le Livre."

"Thank you, I'll email Ms. Jones once we finish here. Before I let you go, have you read those books you borrowed from my library yet?"

They looked to the side to the pile. "No, too much stress."

"Don't stress yourself out anymore then. I know you took the Don Quixote right, the yellow-brown cover? Take your time reading it, after testing is done I'll email out something about mailing it back to the school. Do you have any other questions?" They shook their head no.

"Alright, I will see you Thursday. I know you will do the reading, and I have some cool surprises about the Civil War I'm sure everyone will get a kick out of."

"Oh awesome! Bye Mr. Le Livre, I'll see you Thursday."

Lucile's phone notifications were going off. Everyone got out of class around the same time, and they all wanted to talk. They smiled and closed the computer. Grabbing Don Quixote and their phone, Lucile laid back on their bed and answered the Facetime call. Nancy was going to freak when she hears about Mr. Le Livre's cool American partner. The book was old, but his books were never boring.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think! :)


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